Does using Permaculture principles to create a food forest and sustainable homestead sound exciting to you? Come join us on our 7.5 acre property in Trumansburg! Three of us started this project last summer, and we are looking for the right person/people to co-create it with us. Some of the things we’ve been working on outside are: building a small greenhouse, creating Hugelkultur beds, rainwater catchment, digging a pond, growing trees to plant on the property, starting to manage the woodlot, building a woodshed, and making very good use of the piles of woodchips and leaves our friends have delivered. Indoors we’ve been: building a root cellar, cooking up a storm, processing and preserving foods we’ve grown, building a hearth/installing a woodstove, doing planning for this growing season (including designing an outdoor kitchen and ordering chickens and mushroom spawn), and generally fixing up this 138-year-old house, making it a more efficient and interesting living space!

The current residents are the land owner, a musician in her 50s who works from home for a non-profit film company, and a couple in their twenties who are farmers, artists, and cooks. We all share a passion for organic gardening, natural building, community living and the arts. Our vision for the land is to use Permaculture principles to create a bountiful and beautiful property that can serve as a model, and we’re starting to organize workshops that we hope will be of interest to the larger community.

Our spacious 4-bedroom house sits at the edge of the village of Trumansburg, with woods, a large pond and creek access. The kitchen, living areas and bathrooms are shared by all, and we cook and eat together often (and we eat meat). There is plenty of room here for people to do their own projects – either for generating income or simply for fun!

We are looking for a housemate/landmate(s) who shares these ideals and principles, and who is excited to become a big part of making this place a joy to call home 🙂 A 12-month commitment is important to us. We want someone who is ready to dive into this project and add their gifts and talents to the equation. Beyond that, terms are negotiable! The rent amount will vary ($650-750, plus some utilities) depending on which bedroom you end up in (either 150 or 250 sq ft), and there’s an option for partial work-trade. Our timing is flexible on when you could move in. Our housemate who is moving out hasn’t found a place yet, but you could likely move in as soon as March 1st, if necessary. Pets are negotiable. We have one amazing indoor-outdoor cat named Radar, and we are open to having another cat and/or a dog on the property, as long as everyone can get along 🙂

Ideal candidates will have some skills/knowledge to share and experience living in community. The most important factors are: like-minded individuals that are interested in learning and sustainability, willing to work hard, can be professional when needed, and most of all – have a positive outlook!

If this living situation sounds intriguing to you, please send us an email that tells something about yourself and why you are interested in living here. We look forward to meeting you!